 France is a country filled with history. From the caves of Lascaux to the Loire Valley châteaux, in each region you'll witness the depth of France's history
The French Republic comprises:(Map of France
 )Metropolitan France (continental France and Corsica), 4 Overseas Departments (Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique and Réunion), each equally making up one region since the law of 31.12.1982, 4 Overseas Territories (Wallis and Fortuna Isles, New Caledonia and Dependencies, French Polynesia, and the French Southern and Antarctic Territories) having special status, and 2 Autonomous Regions (Mayotte and Saint-Pierre-and-Miquelon).
Depending on your nationality, the duration and the reason for your stay in France, it may be necessary for you to obtain a visa before leaving. In this case, you should apply to the French consulate in your country. You will find details of their addresses on the website of the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs: http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/venir/visas/index.html
For citizens of European Union countries, a current valid identity card is sufficient. However, if you are a citizen of a other country, a passport is obligatory, with a visa for certain countries.
To check if this concerns you, please go to: http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/venir/visas/index.html
Minors travelling alone must carry authorization for travelling signed by their parents.
No vaccinations are required for entering France.
Travel cards
Hotels, Apartments, Cruises, Vacations in France
Useful information
France Weather Forecast
Current weather conditions, forecasts in France
Currency:
As of January 1, 2002, the euro (€) replaced the national currency of 12 countries within the European Union.
You can exchange currency at any bank branch (hours are listed below).
Automatic cash machines can be found in most commercial centers. Bank Opening Hours
Banking hours in Paris are usually from 10am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Throughout the rest of France, banks are usually open from 10am to 1pm, and 3pm to 5pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Banks often close earlier the day before a public holiday.
Currency exchange
Currency exchange can be carried out at all bank branches and Post Offices. Bureaux de change can also be found in large department stores, railway stations, airports and near to tourist sites. Please note: although the exchange rate is fixed, commission rates are not. These must be clearly displayed.
To see the current euro exchange rates visit Currency Calculator
Credit Cards
They are accepted in a large number of shops, hotels and restaurants. Shopkeepers often state a minimum amount required to be spent.
If you lose your credit card, immediately contact your credit card emergency hot-line to cancel the card, or call your credit card company's local office - see choice of numbers below:
Eurocard-Mastercard: +33 ( 0)1 45 67 84 84
Visa: +33 (0)1 42 77 45 45
Diner's Club: +33 (0) 1 47 62 75 75
American Express: +33 (0) 1 47 77 72 00
 Telephone & Fax
All telephone numbers in France are composed of 10 digits.
To telephone France from abroad, dial the international code of your country + 33 and then, the nine digit number of the person you are calling (without the 0 at the beginning of the French telephone number). E.g. ++ 33 1 42 96 70 00
To call somewhere in France when in France, dial the 10 digit number which starts with a 0.
From France to a foreign country: dial 00 + the country number + the number of the person you are calling. You will find all telephone cards (for phone boxes, recharges for mobile phones, pre-paid cards…) available at Post Offices, tobacconist's, souvenir shops…
All rates and country numbers are at www.francetelecom.fr/
France is very well covered by the 3 French mobile phone operators. Find out from your own operator which French network to choose so that you can use your mobile phone in France.
The Post
Mail boxes
In France, Mail boxes are coloured yellow and can be found along street and in every Post Office. Mail collection time are displayed on them.
Stamps
You can buy stamps at any Post Offices and at any tobacconist.
Postage cost varies according to the weight of your mail and its destination. All rates at www.laposte.fr/
Delivery times
The French mail service is efficient: allow 24 to 48 hours for a letter sent in France to a destination in France; from France to abroad, allow 1 to 5 days.
The whole cost for standard mail is without special surtax.
Internet
Due to the increase in internet and e-mail use, Internet Cafes are becoming common place and can be found in most towns throughout France. Rates may vary, but you will be charged according to the amount of time spent using the computer. To find an Internet Cafe ask the local tourist office.
Electricity:
Voltage of city power grid - 220V, frequency 60HZ Time zone:
From the end of March until the end of October, French time goes from GMT+1 to GMT+2 (GMT = Greenwich Meridian Time).
Public Holidays
There are 11 in France. These are the 1 st January, the 1 st and 8 th May, Easter Monday, Ascension day, Whit Monday, the 14 th July, the 15 th August, the 1 st and 11 th November and the 25 th December. On these days Government Departments, banks, shops . are, in the main, closed. Most stores and businesses close on public holidays, but a majority of museums monuments, and restaurants remain open, or only close on certain holidays. Ask your hotel concierge or local tourist office for information and recommendations, or before you go contact our public information hotline: "France-on-Call" at 410- 286-8310.School Holidays
 Duty-free shopping
If you live outside the European Union, you are entitled to a 12% reduction in duty on certain articles, provided that the amount of your purchases should be higher than or equal to €175including tax, and that these purchases are made on the same day in the same shop.
Check the terms and conditions before making your purchases.
Food
In large towns, bakers and food shops open very early in the morning and close around 7.00pm or 8.00pm (or even later in Paris). They are usually closed on Sunday afternoons, the afternoons of Public Holidays and one day in the week.
Other shops
Other shops open at 9.00am or 10.00am and close between 7.00pm and 8.00pm.
In the regions, they often close between 1.00pm and 2.00pm. They are usually open from Tuesday to Saturday (except public holidays). Large supermarkets are usually open until 9.00pm or 10.00pm.
In the regions, hypermarkets are usually situated outside of towns, in retail parks.
Paris is one of the fashion capitals of the world. Go window-shopping at the great couturiers, along the Avenue Montaigne (Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior…), the Faubourg Saint-Honoré (Hermès, Gucci), the Place de la Madeleine, the Saint-Sulpice quarter or Sèvres-Babylone, between the Rues de Grenelle, du Cherche-Midi and des Saints-Pères (Versace, Sonia Ryckiel…).
Alongside these famous names, a number of designers have appeared: Agnès B. and Claudie Pierlot (at Les Halles or Saint-Sulpice), Kenzo (Place des Victoires), Ventilo, Et Vous… in the Marais…
The department stores: Printemps, Galeries Lafayette, Bon Marché, Samaritaine or BHV, are Parisian institutions…some of which have branches in the regions. They provide numerous brand names and offer every sort of merchandise.
For bargain hunters, two large flea markets are held outside central Paris: Porte de Vanves and Porte de Saint-Ouen (the largest of all).
Another Parisian speciality – the booksellers with their stalls along the banks of the Seine around the Saint-Michel quarter. Antique books, all sorts of second-hand books, comic strips, post cards…You can find everything there at all prices. It is well worth strolling along!
Markets: going to the market is a pleasure. Nothing surprising in that, there is always a happy mix of colours and smells. Paris has many and various markets: the flower market on the Ile de la Cité, bird markets, organic markets, and food markets in every quarter. A real walkabout in a good natured and typical Parisian atmosphere!
In the regions, the town centre often has a number of clothes shops which are just as good as those in Paris. Some towns have second-hand clothes shops with keen prices or very trendy shops.
Every town or village in the regions also have their weekly market; here you will find lots of regional products, whilst making the most of a completely different atmosphere to that of the capital.
Transport
Trains
Several towns in France and also Paris have metro or tram systems and most offer a fairly comprehensive bus network. These means of transport serve the town centers and inner suburbs. Fast and economical, they are the most practical worry-free way to discover a town. In Paris the metro is by far the quickest and most practical way of getting about 15 lines and around 300 stations. The service usually starts around 5.30am and ends around 12.30am. Numerous connections with the RER (Regional express network) and the SNCF railway stations allow easy travel to the suburbs.
SNCF Line (Paris outskirts): a ticket purchased from the outskirts to a Paris railway station now also includes travel on the Paris métro and bus.
1 Métro or bus ticket: €1.40. Paris and its outskirts are divided into zones. There are 8 different zones; you can ask for a map of these zones at any metro and RER station, they are available for free.
1 Book or 10 tickets carnet: €10,50 Half  price €5,25 for children from 4-10 years. Free under 4.
Buses: 1 ticket is now sufficient to cover any bus journey within Paris (as on the métro). In the outskirts the longest lines only require a maximum of 2 tickets. Generally, buses operate from 5.30am to 8.30pm. At night the Noctambus connects the centre of Paris (Place du Châtelet amongst others) and the suburbs.
You can ask for a map of the network (metro, bus, RER) at metro or RER stations (issued free).
Information on regional and Paris transport: http://www.ratp.fr/
The RER
The five lines (A, B, C, D and E) of the RER (Regional express network) cross Paris and the Ile-de-France during the same times as the metro.
Please note that outside Paris ticket charges are not the same.
Ask at your departure station for information.
For tourists: Paris Visit Ticket is valid for either 1,2,3 or 5 consecutive days and allows unlimited travel in all zones of the whole network (metro, bus, RER) and on the Montmartre Funicular.
Zones 1-3: from €8.35 for 1 day to €26.65 for 5 days.
Zones 1-5: from €16.75 for 1 day to €45.70 for 5 days.
Zones 1-8: from €23.60 for 1 day to €53.35 for 5 days.
Reduced price for children aged between 4 and 11 years old.
COACHES
Eurolines is the largest operator of scheduled coach services, offering regular services to over 65 destinations from London. These include Avignon, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Marseilles, Nantes, Paris (up to 4 services daily), Perpignan, St Malo, Strasbourg, Toulouse et Tours. Prices start at just £33 return. Connexions are available from around 1200 UK cities on National Express.
 Almost 15,000 taxis operate in the town. You can take them from taxi ranks (indicated by a square sign with Taxi in white on a blue background) or hail one in the street (on condition that it is available: the "Taxi" sign on the roof is then fully lit, and the small lights under the sign are switched off).
Some taxi companies:
Taxi G7 : 01 47 39 47 39
Taxis Bleus : 0 891 70 10 10 (€0.22/min)
Aéro Taxi (for airport destinations): 01 47 39 01 47
01 Taxi : 01 49 17 01 01
Alpha Taxi: 01 45 85 85 85
To find out about taxi charges throughout France consult the 'tarifs' section of the website http://www.artisan-taxi.com/
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